


Vengeance from beyond

by Aragorn_II_Elessar



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Based on "The Crow", Dark, Death, Emotional, Gen, return from the dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-03-08 10:23:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18892720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aragorn_II_Elessar/pseuds/Aragorn_II_Elessar
Summary: Oliver Queen and Sara Lance have been killed. Their children William and Mia have been adopted. But sometimes, just sometimes, when something terrible happens and the soul cannot rest, the crow can bring the soul back. Based on "The Crow."





	1. Death and return

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> I know I said I can only do one long story at a time but I still wanted to get this one out ASAP because even I don't know how long it will take for me to finish "The Devil and The Arrow" considering how much of Arrow Season 2 is still left to cover.
> 
> This story won't be that long. It will probably end up being shorter than 10 chapters.
> 
> This is rated M because of the dark tone.
> 
> And now the biggie, this is based on the 1994 movie- "The Crow." I was rewatching it yesterday and it is still just as poignant and amazing as the first time I watched it. The unfortunate death of Brandon Lee during its shooting makes it even more upsetting. R.I.P. Brandon Lee.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver Queen and Sara Lance are dead. William and Mia have been adopted. But that is not the end.

_People once believed that when someone dies...a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens...that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes... the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right._

* * *

October 30th, The Devil's Night

Harvey Bullock stood at the crime scene with several other cops. He looked down from the window of the building with a sad expression on his face.

Down below, the coroners covered the body of Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow with a blanket and carried it away. The explosion had hit Oliver and burnt his skin while also embedding shrapnel into him and then launched him off the floor to the ground.

Never in his wildest dreams had Bullock imagined that Oliver was the Green Arrow and his wife Sara Lance the Black Canary. They both had been fighting several super villains in the building before they had set off a huge explosive while escaping that had killed Oliver and gravely wounded Sara too. Bullock just hoped she survived. Ever since he had been transferred to Star City 2 years ago, he had worked with both of them on quite a few cases. Something that had cost him his gold shield.

No one noticed that had a crow had perched upon a the rooftop of the opposite building, watching the scene carefully.

"Sir, we gotta move her." One of the cops said to Bullock. He looked at Sara Lance, who was on a stretcher with mechanical ventilation to help her breathe. She too had been hit badly by the explosion and had burn marks and shrapnel all over her.

"Do it." Bullock said and they started wheeling Sara away quickly. As they reached outside, the sight was witnessed by William and Mia, the two children of Oliver and Sara. William had been born years ago when Oliver had cheated on Laurel with Samantha and had been adopted by him when she had been killed by Adrian Chase.

Mia was their biological daughter, born in late 2017. She was 5 now while William was 14. Upon discovering that the Green Arrow and Black Canary were Oliver Queen and Sara Lance respectively, the cops had called both the children to the area as well.

The two walked over to see Sara being wheeled into an ambulance.

"Mom?" Mia said with tears in her eyes.

"Stand back, children." Bullock said gently to them.

"Where's Oliver?" Sara suddenly whispered as she regained consciousness.

"Just don't worry about him." Bullock assured her as gently as he could.

"Tell him to take care of Mia and William." She whispered hoarsely.

"Look, l will." Bullock said as she gasped and panted in pain, "You just, uh, lie back. Come on."

Sara was put into the ambulance and driven away.

"Yeah, look. Your mother, she's gonna be okay." Bullock said to William and Mia, though he himself knew that it wasn't the case.

William walked closer to Bullock and whispered to him so that his little sister couldn't hear, "You lied to her about my dad."

"l had to." Bullock said with a pained expression.

"And you're lying to us about her." William said as tears started streaming down his face, "She's gonna die, isn't she?"

"Hey, uh-Now, come on. Come on. lt's okay." Bullock tried to assure both the children, "She's gonna be fine."

Mia started crying and William hugged her tightly as Bullock hugged the two children with a pained expression on his face.

* * *

One year later

15 year old William and 6 year old Mia dropped flowers on the graves of Oliver and Sara. They had both been placed in adoptive care first. Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow had tried to adopt them but eventually they had been given up to another woman called Darla Thompson. She had taken good care of them at first but she had taken to drugs and because of that, she had lost her job.

She had eventually ended up working in a motel where she had sunk low with several criminals and continued taking more drugs, neglecting both the children. The adoption center didn't check up on them unfortunately.

Barry still came to check up on both of them time to time and took care of them when he was there. He had decided to fight a custody battle for them later in the year.

The two children looked at the two gravestones and started walking away. That moment, a crow came flying and sat on the gravestone of Oliver Queen and cawed.

The two children turned around and looked at it.

"What are you?" Mia asked with a curious expression, "The night watchman?"

William chuckled at his little sister's innocence and led her away as he held her hand.

* * *

Later

Bullock was eating a hot dog at a small shop when William and Mia came skating in.

"Hey, it's William and Mia." Bullock said with a happy smile as the two sat next to him and put their skateboards away, "How do you steer that on a wet street?"

"Pure talent." William said.

"Hi." Mia greeted the cop.

"Hello." Bullock greeted them back before turning to the shopkeeper, "Now, William and Mia, they're genuine hot doggers."

He asked the children, "You hungry?"

"You buyin'?" William asked.

"l'm buyin'." Bullock said.

"No onions please?" Mia pleaded with a sweet childlike expression.

"No onions." Bullock smiled.

* * *

Graveyard

It started raining and the crow suddenly pecked on Oliver's gravestone a few times. As thunder cracked in the sky, the ground next to the gravestone started shaking, as if someone was pushing it from inside.

And then all of a sudden, a man with short blonde hair came bursting out of the ground, screaming like a maniac.

He screamed more as the crow looked at him while thunder cracked in the sky as it continued to rain.

Oliver Queen stopped screaming and lay on the ground, sighing heavily as he became aware of his surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this.
> 
> Now like Stand with Ward and Queen, Bl4ckHunter and Phillipe363, I have made Mia a kid of Oliver and Sara instead of Oliver and Felicity because she resembles those two a lot more.
> 
> As for what happened to the other characters, I will keep it vague like in "Logan" but none of them are around any longer. Okay? Okay.
> 
> This is mainly meant to be an emotional and short revenge story so that's what it's going to be. The identity of the super-villains who together killed Oliver and Sara will be revealed later.
> 
> Now I know Harvey Bullock is a Gotham detective but I needed a DC comics police officer to fill Sergeant Albrecht's role from the film and Bullock fits the bill.
> 
> I will update both this and "The Devil and The Arrow" soon.


	2. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver slowly remembers everything and tracks down one of the people responsible for his and Sara's deaths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, comments and hits.

Oliver Queen staggered in the alley as it rained above him. He was still weak and collapsed on the ground, sighing heavily.

He then heard the cawing of the crow and suddenly seemed to regain some strength. He picked himself up and threw off his coat, shirt and tie as he staggered further.

He saw the crow sitting on a trash can, pointing at something. Oliver realized it was pointing at two boots. He picked them up and worn them while looking at the crow curiously.

It flew off and Oliver staggered after it, wondering what it was trying to tell him. He looked up and saw the crow perched up on a car. It pointed at the building behind it.

Oliver staggered towards the building, walking up the stairs to its upper floor with the crow flying after him. He saw a room sealed by police tape. Oliver reached out and pulled the tape away before walking inside.

As he looked down, he saw some shrapnel lying on the ground with burn marks. He kneeled down, reaching out with his hand. As he touched the ground, he remembered-

* * *

_There was an explosion that launched him off the building._

* * *

Oliver grabbed his head in pain as he fell down at the memory. He touched the ground and remembered a little more-

* * *

_His opponent fired an arrow at him which he deflected with his own._

* * *

_Sara struck her opponent- a woman in a green suit, with her bo-staff._

* * *

_He used his bow to deflect the knife thrown at him._

* * *

_The other archer threw a flashbang grenade and all the villains escaped._

* * *

_The explosion happened and hit Sara, sending her crashing into the wall while he was launched off the building._

* * *

Oliver screamed in pain and ran up to the window through which he had fallen. He jumped off but at the last moment, he caught himself off the frame of the window and flipped back inside, injuring his hands in the process.

He stood still and stared at his injured hands. The crow cawed and to his astonishment, the wounds faded and disappeared! As if they had never been there!

That moment, the crow cawed again and flew off. Oliver staggered after it as it led him out of the building. After almost half an hour, it led him to another building. An older one.

Oliver staggered inside and saw an elevator. As he touched it, he remembered-

* * *

_He, a blonde woman who resembled Sara, a dark-haired woman who slightly resembled him, another blonde woman who wore spectacles and a dark-skinned man entered the elevator as it opened._

* * *

Oliver pressed a button and it managed to open. He went inside along with the crow and it led him down. When it opened, his eyes widened at what he saw.

It was his former Lair!

Oliver staggered as the crow flew after him. He touched the ground and remembered more-

* * *

_Him, Sara and the dark skinned man sparred with escrima sticks._

* * *

His hands happened to fall on an older bow of his which was still there-

* * *

_He picked up the old bow, determined to fight._

* * *

_He taught his son William how to shoot. William managed to hit a target and the two high-fived._

* * *

Oliver staggered over and ended up touching an older suit of his. The suit worn by the Hood!

* * *

_Oliver dressed up as the Hood and went out for the night._

* * *

He sighed, finally having processed all the memories that had been returning to him. He then took out some green grease from inside and painted it over his eyes and across his lips too, forming a kind of a smile.

He then picked up his old bow and looked over at his suit as the crow cawed.

* * *

Few minutes later

Oliver walked out of the elevator and looked out of a window as the sky thundered, revealing him in his old green suit with grease across his eyes and lips. The crow took off from his shoulder and flew away as Oliver stood firmly with determination on his face.

* * *

David Cain walked out of a pawn shop he regularly visited and walked into an alley.

* * *

Oliver jumped around on rooftops as the crow flew in front of him. He leapt off a building and used a grapple arrow to swing on another one.

The crow then sat at the edge of that building and looked down, cawing. Oliver stopped and realized he could see through the crow's eye.

And through the crow's eye, he saw David Cain walking down in the alley below. As the crow flew off, Oliver grunted in anger and jumped off the building. He did a flip and fell on the ground on his back.

He then started laughing hysterically as Cain turned.

"Who the hell are you?" Cain asked, "You dressed up for Halloween or something?"

Oliver got up and turned to Cain with an insane expression on his face. Cain's eyes widened in horror, "Oliver?! But-but how can that be?! You died!"

Oliver started walking towards him and he quickly took out a knife but the man tackled him to the ground.

As Cain tried to attack with his knife, Oliver grabbed his hand and then grabbing him by the hair, shoved him into a wall.

Cain snarled in rage and punched Oliver. To his shock, Oliver was unaffected. He then grabbed Cain by the collar and shoved him into another wall.

Cain kicked Oliver in the abdomen, staggering him back slightly. He attacked with his knife twice but Oliver dodged and pushed him back. He punched Oliver again but he was unaffected.

He tried to swing his knife but Oliver struck his wrist and the knife fell on the ground. Oliver then grabbed Cain by the collar and punched him in the abdomen before throwing him to the other side of the street with all the strength he had got after his resurrection.

The crow flew to the other side as Cain tried to get up. Oliver ran up to Cain and grabbed him by the collar, "YOU AND THE OTHERS MURDERED US!"

"Yes!" Cain smirked, "We did! We murdered you and your bitch!"

Oliver slapped him across the face hard, "Her name was SARA!"

He sighed at the moment and Cain kneed him in the abdomen, making him let go. He then got up and kicked Oliver on the back twice. Oliver tried to get up but Cain kicked him on the chin, sending him to the ground.

He then threw away his coat and took out two knives, "I don't care how you survived. I am going to kill your grease-painted face again. And I will do it very easily."

The crow watched from above and Oliver could see Cain through him again for a moment. Oliver got up, remembering a little more-

* * *

_Cain fought Sara and managed to land a cut across her shoulder before she kicked him away._

* * *

Cain threw the knife but Oliver ducked to avoid and it embedded itself into the wall behind him. As he threw the other knife, Oliver deflected it with his bow before slinging it back over his shoulder, "Try harder. Try again."

Cain roared and threw a third knife. To his horror, Oliver caught it with both of his hands and threw it back. Before he could react, the knife hit Cain on the shoulder and impaled him on a crate.

Oliver then shot three arrows in quick succession, hitting Cain's other shoulder and both of his knees, impaling him fully on the crate.

As Cain grunted in pain, Oliver walked up to him and taking out a fletchette, raised it high, "Victims. Aren't we all?"

He then brought the fletchette down on Cain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that ends the second chapter. Oliver remembers and is back in his S1 suit with the same bow and arrows.
> 
> David Cain was one of his and Sara's killers. You will see the others soon.
> 
> "Victims. Aren't we all?"
> 
> An amazing line from an amazing movie, isn't it?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


	3. The bo-staff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver visits a pawn shop where Sara's bo-staff was pawned off after her death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

William and Mia rode on their skateboards and stopped outside the motel where Darla Thompson worked.

"Stay here." William told her and she nodded as he went inside. He looked around and saw Darla kissing a man who wore a black mask which had three openings. Two for his eyes and one for his lips. His name was Roman Sionis. Aka the Black Mask.

He sat down in front of them and gave a polite cough.

The two turned to him with incredulous looks on their faces.

"l told you to stay out of here." Darla said incredulously.

"So l guess you're not gonna be home till a lot later, huh, Darla?" William asked pointedly.

"She's busy." Black Mask said, "Go play video games and tell your sister to go play with her dolls or something, okay?"

"l don't have any dolls." William said, "And my sister doesn't have any dolls."

Darla put some money in front of him, "Get some food, huh?"

"Somebody already bought us dinner." William said, "The police."

Darla still made no move to join him. Sighing, William picked up the money and walked out.

""Somebody already bought us dinner. The police."" Black Mask mimicked William's voice, making Darla laugh.

William walked out with a dejected look on his face, "Let's go, Mia."

* * *

The crow flew and stopped right in front of a pawn shop.

* * *

Inside the shop, its owner- whose name was Marc Guggenheim, was counting the money he had got for the day. He looked up to see a shadow in the front of the door.

The man knocked hard on his grill and he yelled, "Hey! Piss off! We're closed!"

The man pounded harder and he yelled, "Sleep it off somewhere else, dusthead, unless you want to get mutilated."

He then saw the man pushing the grill away and walking towards the door. He took out a gun and walked towards the door, "Goddamn creatures of the night, they never learn."

He pointed his gun at the door as the man started pounding on it, "Hey! Hey!"

SMASH!

Marc Guggenheim dropped his gun in shock as the glass shattered and Oliver Queen walked in while the crow flew past him, startling the owner.

Oliver snarled, "Marc Guggenheim, you have failed this city!"

"You're trespassing and you owe me a fuckin' new door!" Guggenheim exclaimed.

"I'm looking for something." Oliver said, ignoring the man-child's outburst, "A bo-staff."

"You're looking for a coroner shit-for-brains!" Guggenheim yelled as he picked up his gun and fired a shot right at Oliver's chest.

To his horror, Oliver simply staggered back and looked down on his chest. The wound faded and disappeared as if it had never been there!

"Oh, shit!" Guggenheim exclaimed in horror, "Oh, shit on me! Shit on me! Shit on me!"

Oliver lifted Guggenheim up with one hand and threw him away. He flew over his table smashed into a wall clock and fell down. He staggered himself back up as he heard Oliver jumping on the table behind him.

Lifting up a pipe, he turned around and swung but saw no one was there. That moment, he looked up to see Oliver hanging upside down from the ceiling like a ghost.

"Mr. Guggenheim. You're not paying attention." Oliver said before smacking him across the face with his bow, making him drop the pipe.

"No!" Guggenheim screamed but Oliver grabbed his face, shutting him up before grabbing the back of his head with his other hand, "l repeat, a bo-staff that can separate into two batons, yes?"

He then nodded the restrained Guggenheim's head for his own amusement before pushing the man away, "lt was pawned here a year ago by a customer of yours named David Cain."

Guggenheim looked up at him in horror.

"He confided in me before he ran out of breath."

* * *

David Cain's body was carried away by coroners as Harvey Bullock watched the scene with a cigarette in his mouth. There were many fletchettes sticking out of Cain's chest and stomach.

"Who's this sack of shit?" The captain asked as he arrived.

"We don't know his real name." Bullock said as he smoked, "But the people on the streets call him "The One Who is All." l think you can rule out accidental death."

"Don't any of your street demons have real grown-up names?" The captain wondered aloud.

"This could be a turf hit, but it doesn't look like your usual gang crap." Bullock said.

"Come on, Bullock, spare me." The captain said, "You're a beat cop now, so be a beat cop."

"I'm supposed to thank you for that, right?" Bullock asked pointedly.

"Word to the wise: Watch your fuckin' mouth." The captain snarled at him before looking at the wall behind him, "What the hell do you call that?"

Bullock turned around. On the wall, a large arrowhead and a large shape of a crow had been drawn next to each other in blood.

"I call it blood, detective." Bullock said, "I suppose you'll write it up as graffiti."

"You can leave my crime scene now, okay?" The captain said. Bullock glared at him one last time before leaving.

* * *

At the pawn shop, Oliver threw away a box in anger, "Warmer!"

"What are you doing?" Guggenheim asked in terror. His hand had been pinned to his table by an arrow.

"Don't you know this game?" Oliver asked.

"What game?" Guggenheim asked before Oliver glared at him, "Okay, the staffs! l'll tell you about the staffs! They're in that metal box! lt's under the shelf there!"

Oliver took out the metal box from under the shelf and opened it. There were several staffs inside. He took out some of them and threw them away before touching a bo-staff and remembering-

* * *

_Oliver knocked a thug out with Sara's bo-staff while she shot a thug with his bow and arrow before they returned each other's weapons._

* * *

Oliver looked at the bo-staff lovingly and taking it out, put it into his quiver along with his arrows.

"You have one chance to live." Oliver said as he walked up to Guggenheim who had taken the arrow out and was wrapping a clot around his bleeding hand.

"Take anything you want."

"Thank you."

"Take anything!"

Oliver glared at him and said, "Now you're going to tell me where to find... the rest of David Cain's little party pals."

"The Pit motel." Guggenheim said in fear, "They all hang out at The Pit. Hush's little potato-heads hang out there. The Black Mask lives there upstairs."

"Black Mask." Oliver muttered as he remembered-

* * *

_The Black Mask fired automatic gunfire at him and Sara. They both flipped to avoid some of the shots but he got hit on the shoulder while she got hit on the knee._

* * *

Oliver roared in anger and smashed a small table before picking up a gasoline container and spilling it around.

"Stop please!" Guggenheim pleaded.

"Hold still!" Oliver said as he pointed an arrow at him and he raised his hands. Oliver then lowered his bow and threw some pawned off engagement rings at Guggenheim's face, "Each one of these is a life...a life you helped destroy."

"l'm begging you." Guggenheim pleaded, "Don't kill me."

"l'm not gonna kill you." Oliver told him to his shock, "Your job will be to tell the rest of them that death is coming for them...tonight."

He turned and started walking out, "Tell them they have failed this city."

Seeing him walk out, Guggenheim regained some bravado, "You walk outta here, they're gonna erase your sorry ass. You're nothing but street grease, you motherfucker!"

Turning around, Oliver notched an arrow, "Is that gasoline l smell?"

"No, man, no!" Guggenheim pleaded as he started running out of the back door. Oliver fired his arrow into the shop and it exploded, causing a gasoline explosion.

Guggenheim was out of the back door but the explosion hit him and managed to throw him off the ground and fall away by a few feet.

Guggenheim got up and screamed as he saw his pant was on fire. He started putting it out, "No! No! No!"

* * *

In the motel, William ended up drinking a small beer while Mia ate a snack next to him. He turned around to see Black Mask leading Darla up to his room.

"l can't do anything." The bartender told him apologetically, "Darla... technically, she's off right now."

"Yeah, way off." William said pointedly.

* * *

Oliver was walking away from the destroyed shop as the crow flew above him.

"Police! Don't move!" Bullock said as he appeared on the scene and pointed his gun at Oliver who continued walking, "l said, ''Don't move!''"

"l thought the police always said, ''Freeze!''" Oliver joked without looking up.

"l am the police and l say don't move, Green Arrow wannabe." Bullock said as he pointed his gun, "You move, you're dead."

Without looking up, Oliver raised his hands, "And l say I'm dead and I move."

"Not one more step." Bullock said as he turned the safety off, "I'm serious."

"Then shoot, if you will, Officer Bullock." Oliver said as he walked further.

"What are you, nuts?" Bullock asked, wondering how this nutjob dressed like the Green Arrow knew his name, "Walking into a gun? You high?"

"You don't remember me?" Oliver asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"How about Sara?" Oliver suddenly asked, "Do you remember Sara Lance?"

"Sara Lance's dead, my friend." Bullock said, "I want you to move over to the curb, nice and easy. Move it!"

Oliver walked over to the curb and sat down as Bullock didn't take his gun off, "Okay, we're gonna wait here for backup."

"It's getting too weird for me." Oliver muttered.

"Oh, it gets better."

"Do you know someone named Hush?" Oliver suddenly asked, "He had a friend who shouldn't have played with knives. Because someone used him to play with fletchettes."

"You're the guy that murdered "The One Who is All"." Bullock said in realization. He looked up to see some minor criminals checking out the destroyed shop to see if they could steal anything.

"He was already dead." Oliver said, "He died a year ago. The moment he played a part in killing her. They're all dead. They just don't know it yet."

That moment, he looked up, throwing off his hood in the process. Bullock's eyes widened in horror and he backed slightly. He then heard the criminals shattering some glass in the destroyed shop and roared at them, "Get away from there!"

"Cops!" They yelled as they started running, "Get outta here!"

When he looked back, Oliver was gone. As sirens wailed behind him, he muttered, "Oh great, great, great. Guy shows up like a mime from Hell… and you lose him right out in the open."

He walked off as other cops arrived to check out the scene, "Well, at least he didn't do that walking against the wind shit. I hate that. But coming back from the dead? I hate that more!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the chapter ends. I couldn't resist naming the pawn shop owner after Guggie. And this all an intricate figure of speech I have created.
> 
> Sara's bo-staff is pawned off in his shop. The Oliver/Sara relationship was pawned off in Guggenheim's mind who replaced it with Olicity. And all the engagement rings Oliver threw at him represent the other relationships Oliver could have had with women like Nyssa or Earth-2 Laurel had Guggie not been obsessed with Olicity.
> 
> William doesn't have any parental supervision so I think he probably feels free to drink right now.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


	4. Morphine is bad for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bullock starts putting the pieces together as Oliver pays Black Mask and Darla a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I'M BACK BABY! And I don't own Arrow or anything else you may recognize.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.

William and Mia were about to skate onto the street when a car came close. Before it could hit them, someone grabbed them both from behind and lifted them up, carrying them to the footpath as the car passed by.

The person put them down as William yelled to the driver, "You didn't even slow down!"

The man who had saved them started walking away into the shadows as the two children turned around.

"Who are you?" Mia asked him.

The man walked into the shadows as the two looked away for a moment.

"If he had hit you, he'd have failed this city."

William and Mia turned around but the man was gone.

"Dad?"

* * *

Bullock was working on his desk when a female cop called Annie who was his friend handed him a case file.

"Don't thank me." She said, "Are we fighting the good fight?"

"Yeah." Bullock said.

"The last time you snooped around a case is when you got put back on the beat." She told him.

"l know. Captain keeps reminding me." He said.

"l bet he does." She said.

Bullock then took out a photo of Oliver and with a green crayon, drew the grease on his lips and across his eyes.

Annie looked down at it from above and commented, "You're going to wind up working a school crosswalk."

She then started walking away, "You didn't get that file from me, okay? And don't tell me you owe me one."

"Ah, l owe you one!" He said.

"Yeah, right." She laughed as Bullock looked at the picture, realizing that the person he had seen WAS Oliver.

* * *

The crow flew across the city and stopped in front of The Pit motel.

* * *

In an upper room of the motel, Darla and Black Mask were getting high.

* * *

Oliver crouched on a ledge nearby with the crow on his shoulder. It cawed and flew off.

* * *

Black Mask and Darla were kissing each other hungrily with him pinning her to the bed when she noticed the crow on the window.

"There's a big fucking bird over there." She said as she pointed at the window.

He turned around as it cawed and said, "It's a squab."

The two laughed and he beckoned it over, "Hey, bird. Hey, bird. Bird. B-B-Birdie. Here, birdie, birdie. Come here, birdie, birdie, birdie. Birdie? Hey, birdie?"

Oliver saw the two through the crow's eye and climbed in via another window.

"Here, Black Mask." He said as the two turned to him.

"What the fuck?" Black Mask muttered in shock, too high to think coherently.

Oliver suddenly raised his fist and charged, making Black Mask recoil in fear. Oliver stopped and lowered his hand as Black Mask said, "No man! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!"

Oliver walked up to their bed and said, "Don't sweat it."

"It's time for you to take your bird and leave, freako." Black Mask said as he took out his gun and pointed at Oliver.

Oliver took a seat at the foot of the bed and put his hand in front of the barrel, "Take your shot, Black Mask. You got me dead bang."

"You are seriously fucked up!" A horrified Black Mask said, "Did you look in the mirror? You need professional help."

He then pulled the trigger and Oliver staggered back, groaning, while Black Mask laughed. Oliver suddenly started laughing himself and raised his hand, showing that his wound was closing up by itself.

"Jesus Christ!" Black Mask said, horrified.

"Jesus Christ?" Oliver asked, "Stop me if you've heard this one."

Oliver started walking towards him, "Jesus Christ walks into a hotel-"

Black Mask shot him on the chest but the wound healed while Darla got up from the bed and started running off in fear.

Oliver continued, "He hands the innkeeper three nails and asks-"

BANG!

Oliver staggered slightly but the wound healed while Darla went into the bathroom to hide.

"Don't you ever fucking die?" Black Mask roared.

""Can you put me up for the night?""

Black Mask was about to fire again when Oliver struck his hand with his bow, making him shoot his own foot.

He screamed in pain as Oliver snarled, "Roman Sionis. You have failed this city."

"Oh God!" Black Mask whimpered in pain as he looked at his bed sheets, "Look what you have done to my bed sheets."

Oliver grabbed him by the leg and dragged him towards the bathroom door. He kicked the door open, revealing a frightened Darla crying in the corner.

Oliver glared at her and she looked back, tears in her eyes. He dragged Black Mask into the tub and opened the tap.

Darla picked up a razor to defend herself. Oliver walked up to her and she swung it wildly with tears in her eyes, "Stay away from me! Stay away!"

Oliver grabbed her hand and snatched the razor before dragging her to the mirror.

"Look." He said. She looked at the mirror, the fear in her eyes visible.

"Mother is the name of God on the lips and hearts of all children." Oliver said, "Do you understand? Morphine is bad for you."

He then tapped her forehead and arm and to her shock, the drugs she had just taken flowed out of the needle holes in her arm.

He let her go and she looked at him with fear.

"William and Mia are out there on the streets, waiting for you." He said. She backed in fear and opening the door, ran off barefoot.

Oliver walked up to a fallen syringe and picking it up, looked between it and the unconscious Black Mask in the tub, deciding to do something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is another chapter done. This one was fun to write.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


	5. A reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver meets an old ally of his as word of his actions reach more ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

Marc Guggenheim had some bandages on him due to the burn wounds and was drinking a small beer when the bartender gave him ice.

"lf l wanted ice, l would have asked for ice!" He said, "Now fill it up!"

"Fill it up yourself, macho man." The bartender said with disdain.

That moment, someone put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Butch Gilzean looking down on him.

"You burn yourself playing with matches?" He asked as he looked at the burn marks.

"Fuck off." Guggenheim said angrily.

"You have an appointment." Butch told him.

"Well, shit on me." Guggenheim told him.

"Drink up. You don't want to miss it." Butch told him in a threatening tone that left no room for argument.

Suddenly, Darla ran down the stairs, bumping into another waitress. Butch, Marc and the bartender all looked at her.

"Hey, good night, Darla." The bartender said but she was too frightened to respond and ran out of the motel.

Butch told Guggenheim, "Stay here."

* * *

Oliver dragged Black Mask out of the tub and raised the syringe.

* * *

Butch kicked the door open-

Only to see Black Mask lying on the ground, several syringes sticking out of his chest. He looked up at the window and saw someone jumping away.

He ran up to the window and looked down but no one was there. He turned back to the dying Black Mask and saw that an arrowhead had been drawn from the blood around the syringes on his chest while a crow had been drawn from the blood on his stomach.

* * *

Harvey Bullock was looking at the photo of Oliver when he heard something. He walked up to his window and looked out to see if there was someone out there.

"Freeze!"

Bullock gasped as he turned around to see Oliver standing there.

"Jesus. Don't ever do that, man." Bullock said as he recovered from the shock and put a hand on his chest to steady himself.

Oliver walked around as he said, "Fuck. Good likeness. l saw your body, man. You died. You got buried."

"You still have your hat on." Oliver said. Bullock immediately removed his hat on hearing that.

"l gotta sit down." He said, still recovering himself from the sight of a still alive Oliver who took out a beer from his fridge.

He held it out to Bullock who opened the cap, "Shi-Holy Shit. Say... are you some kind of... ghost?"

"Boo!" Oliver said to his face as the two sat down, "l don't know what l am. l need you to tell me what happened to us."

With a sigh, Bullock said, "You were fighting a group of supervillains before you were hit by an explosion. You took a six-story swan dive out of a window. She, ah, was also hit and was damaged a lot by the shrapnel. Died at the hospital."

Oliver looked upset on hearing that.

"Hey, you asked, man." Bullock said as he walked away, "Come on. Read the file. Sara Lance Queen, held on for 30 hours in intensive care. Her body finally just gave it up. l saw it. l couldn't do jack for her."

He picked up the file and held it out for Oliver. Instead, Oliver put both of his hands on the sides of Bullock's head and got a memory.

* * *

_Sara was cared for in the ICU as Bullock watched but eventually she lost the fight for her life._

* * *

Oliver staggered back in horror and shock.

"Hey." Bullock tried to catch him

"Don't touch me!" Oliver said as he fell onto the couch and started sobbing.

"Hey." Bullock asked in concern, "You okay?"

"I saw her. I saw her through your eyes. You stayed with her the whole time." Oliver said as he looked up with tears in his eyes, touched by the cop's gesture.

"Yeah, well, you got to understand something, all right?" Bullock said as he started smoking a cigarette, "l was hoping she'd come out of it, you know. Give me something l could work with."

"Yeah." Oliver said, "You tried to do something about it later?"

"I tried." Bullock said, "I tried asking questions. But I got busted for sticking my nose where it wasn't wanted."

Oliver saw a photo of Bullock with another woman.

"This your wife?" He asked.

"Yeah, we uh-" He trailed off, "Well not anymore. We're getting a divorce."

"lt's funny. Little things used to mean so much to Sara. l used to think they were kind of trivial. Believe me, nothing is trivial." Oliver said.

He took the cigarette out of Bullock's mouth and smoked it himself before looking up at him in disgust, "You shouldn't smoke these. They'll kill you."

He then got up and started walking away.

"You going to vanish into thin air again?" Bullock asked.

"l thought l'd use your front door." Oliver said as he turned around.

"Look, man, l'm sorry as hell for what happened to you and your girlfriend." Bullock said with sadness in his voice.

"Yeah." Oliver said simply before turning around and walking away.

* * *

"l got stabbed! l shot the son of a bitch! l watched the bullet hole close by itself." Marc Guggenheim told Butch and the two women with him, "And then my business gets blown up real good. Other than that, my day sucked."

"Yeah. l saw him too." Butch said, "He jumped out a fourth-floor window like he had wings."

"What else did you see?" The woman in the black suit, who was called Miranda Tate asked Guggenheim.

"So far l haven't heard shit about what you're going to do about all this crap!" Guggenheim burst out, "What do l get? My livelihood got flushed and went swirling."

"You haven't lost everything." Miranda told him.

"Yeah, and maybe you're not such a big shot either!" Guggenheim said angrily as he shot out of his chair but Burch grabbed his arms firmly, hurting him, "Ow! Jesus!"

Butch made him sit back down as Miranda said, "Fair enough."

She took something out of her pocket and tossed it to him, "Catch."

Guggenheim caught it-

Only to throw it on the table in horror as he realized it was an eye, "Aah! Jesus."

"Say hello to the last person who wouldn't cooperate with me." Miranda threatened him discreetly.

"What're you tellin' me, this thing is real?" Guggenheim asked in horror.

"All the power in the world resides in the eyes." Miranda said as she walked towards a vault and opened it, revealing some swords inside, "Sometimes they're more useful than the people who bear them."

"You're directly out of your fucking mind! You know that!" Guggenheim said angrily.

"Yeah." Miranda said, "Eyes see. lt's one of the most important things l learned from my father."

She took the sword out and pointed it right at Guggenheim's throat as Butch held him in place while the other woman who wore a green suit with a white mask simply glared at him, "Now, let's take it from the top, friend. With a lot of detail. What do you say?"

"He had a bird with him. Nearly pecked my face off." Guggenheim said, "He told me to tell Hush that he had failed this city. Whatever the fuck that means. And he was dressed like the Green Arrow. Some wannabe I think." He looked at the sword, "Want to relax that thing now?"

"This Green Arrow wannabe with a bird, he just happened to let you live, huh?" Miranda asked even though the 'you have failed this city' line had rung a bell in her head, "You sure you are not making all this up just to save yourself?"

"l ain't makin' all this up. l ain't twisted like you three fucks." Guggenheim said.

"All right." Miranda said as she lowered her sword and turned around, "A Green Arrow wannabe and his bird. Sounds awful."

"Yeah." Guggenheim said and started laughing. Miranda chuckled too.

Suddenly, she turned around and drove her sword through Guggenheim's throat. He started choking violently.

Annoyed by the noise, she took a gun from Butch and shot him on the head, killing him. She gave Butch the gun back, "Thanks."

"Black Boy said he saw a black bird too." Butch said, "A big one. Along with the Green Arrow wannabe. Then he choked to death on his own blood."

Looking at the dead Guggenheim, he walked away, "l'll have the janitor come on up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Butch Gilzean is the one from Gotham but he is not Cyrus Gold in this as Arrow already had its version of him in Season 2. He is just a henchman in this.
> 
> And yes, Miranda Tate is Talia al Ghul. She now rules Star City's criminal underworld with Miranda Tate as her alias.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


	6. An emotional reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver hunts down another of his and Sara's killers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

Thomas Elliot aka Hush sat in his car as his partner Simon Lacroix aka Komodo went into the shop to buy some drugs for their business. He used to be a billionaire once but now he had turned into a ruthless crime lord.

He himself had taken drugs a while ago and was a bit high.

Suddenly, a crow sat on the hood of his car and cawed, confusing him. He then sensed a presence behind him. He was about to take out a gun when he felt a gun on his own head.

He looked in the rear view mirror to see it was Oliver dressed as the Hood. But because of the drugs, he couldn't think coherently.

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be, huh?" He asked Oliver.

As the crow cawed, Oliver said, "I'm your passenger."

Oliver snatched Hush's gun and threw it away before commanding, "Drive."

Hush quickly started the motor and started driving away. From inside, Lacroix heard the sound of the engine starting and ran out, "What the hell?"

He saw the car being driven away and was too stunned to react. That moment, another car hit him from behind as it slowed down. He fell down, slightly hurt.

"What the fuck's the matter with you man?" The driver asked as he stepped out and grabbed Simon by the collar, "You hit my car!"

Simon decked him on the lower jaw, knocking him out before he sat in his car and followed Hush.

* * *

"What do you want from us, huh?" Thomas asked Oliver before remembering his description from his friends, "You did Cain, didn't you?"

He was driving really fast because of which he gained the attention of two cops who drove after them in their police van.

Hush maneuvered around to avoid the cops. As they ran after them, Simon's car suddenly appeared in front of them out of nowhere and the vehicles collided. A wounded Simon then opened the door of his car and staggered out in pain.

* * *

Oliver made Hush stop his car in front of the docks. He then tied him up to his seat with duct tape before walking out.

Hush looked at him closely, recovering from his daze and finally said, "I know you man! I know you! I know you! How are you still alive? There is no coming back! There is no coming back!"

Oliver strapped his head to the seat as well before making him push the accelerator of his car, making his car rush towards the water.

As it neared the water, Oliver fired an arrow at the fuel tank, making it explode, causing the car to fall into the river.

That was the sight Simon staggered to see and his eyes widened in horror on seeing Oliver.

Oliver then took out two flaming arrows and fired them on the ground. One of them formed the shape of the crow from the flames while the other one formed the shape of an arrowhead from the flames.

As Simon looked at the sight with an agape jaw, Oliver walked away as the crow perched upon his shoulder, leaving the flames behind.

* * *

Next morning

Butch Gilzean kneeled in front of Oliver's grave and his eyes widened in shock and horror as he realized that he was no longer there due to the shape of the ground below him.

* * *

William and Mia woke up to see Darla cooking.

"Do you two like them up or over?" She asked them with a smile.

"l can't remember." William said, "What are you doing? l don't even like eggs."

"Wait, you loved eggs." Darla said.

"Yeah, not anymore." William said.

"I do." Mia said with a smile.

"So what do you want now?" Darla asked William, "Black coffee and cigarettes?"

"So what did you take to become mother of the year?" William asked as he and Mia took their seats.

"Oh, it wasn't drugs." She said, "Someone kind of woke me up."

"Who?" William asked.

"Oh, it was totally unbelievable." She said.

"You're acting weird." William said, "Did you win the lottery or something, Darla?"

"Oh, forget it. l don't even remember being good at being a mommy." Darla said as she turned away.

"Over easy." William said as she turned back to him, "l like 'em over easy."

The wall between the foster mother and her children was finally being broken down.

* * *

"Hey, Bullock."

Bullock turned to the captain with a sigh who showed him a photo of Hush's car being fished out of the water.

"This is the third hit in your hood in 24 hours." The captain said, "We just fished this out of the river. He's fused to his own car. We're gonna have to l.D. his teeth."

"His name is Hush." Bullock said, "Organized crime was his specialty. Looks like he zigged when he should have zagged. Case closed."

"Bull-fuckin'-shit." The captain snarled at him as he walked into his office with Bullock, "Come here."

As Bullock looked at him, he said, "You're holding out on me. l got a goddamn vigilante killer knocking off scumbags left and right... and you're covering up for somebody. Who's the cartoon character in the painted face and Green Arrow suit?"

"You're the detective. You tell me." Bullock said with a smirk.

"Okay." The captain said in frustration, "Guggenheim's blows all to hell and you're having a chitchat with some weirdo...who winds up in Hush's car when it zigs instead of zags. Then you steal one of my case files from homicide... and you're saying this is just a fuckin' automobile accident? Come on!"

"Yeah." Bullock smirked, "Good speech though. l didn't want to interrupt you. lt sounded good. You gotta write that shit down."

"All right, smart-ass." The captain said in anger, "I've got a little love note waiting for you.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your suspension."

"Suspension?" Bullock asked in shock, "For what?"

"Misconduct." The captain said simply as Bullock walked out in frustration.

* * *

William and Mia stopped in front of the old building where the team used to work. They went inside, wanting to confirm their suspicions.

William opened the lift and using it, they went down into the lair. They looked around. It looked the same as last time.

"Dad." William called out in a hopeful tone, "We know you're here."

"I miss you, daddy." Mia said as they looked around, "And mommy. I get lonely without you."

But there was no response. Dejected, William turned away, "I thought you cared."

"William. Mia."

The two turned around to see Oliver standing there, hood down, a bright smile on his face with happy tears in his eyes.

"I do care." He said warmly as he beckoned his two children to him.

"DADDY!"

"DAD!"

Mia and William ran happily to him and fell into his loving embrace as happy tears started to fall out of their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is about to end now in three chapters by my calculations.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


	7. Interrupting a meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver interrupts a meeting between the crime lords of the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

"It was him!" Simon, who now had his arm in a cast due to being hit by the police car, ranted to Tate and Butch, "It was Oliver! I saw him! He was painted up like the Hood! I saw him!"

"You went to the grave?" Tate asked Butch.

"Empty?" Butch told her and she nodded.

"Grave? What grave?" Simon asked as he limped towards them, "What about my fucking grave?"

Butch pushed him away from Miranda in disdain. The fear in Simon's eyes was clear.

"The ghost is gonna kill my ass next!" He started ranting right to Tate's face, "The ghost's gonna kill my ass! He's gonna kill my-"

He was cut off when Tate slapped him hard across the face, throwing him to the ground as Butch picked him up.

She looked at him and said, "He's not a ghost."

"What're we going to do about him?" Jade Nguyen asked as she arrived.

"Keep him for now." Tate told Butch regarding Simon, "He'll be useful."

* * *

William and Mia were sitting in the hot dog shop with unreadable expressions on their faces when Bullock walked up to them.

"You want them plain or with onions?" He asked them.

When they didn't reply, he said, "Fine. Don't talk to me."

"Mr. Bullock. When someone's gone to the other world, they can't come back, can they?" Mia asked the suspended cop.

When he didn't reply, William said, "That's what I thought."

"Are you two referring to anyone in particular?" Bullock asked the children.

"You'll just think we're crazy." William said.

"Yeah, well then maybe they'll have to lock all three of us up." Bullock said and the two children turned to him with gleams in their eyes.

"You saw daddy too?" Mia asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yes." Bullock told them with a smile, "I saw your father."

"We met him." William said, "We spent a good time together. He said he still loves us and cares for us."

"But he can't be daddy anymore!" Mia said sadly.

"Because we're alive and he's not." William completed with a sad sigh.

"He can't be." Bullock said, "But I can. Want me to walk you home?"

The two children looked at him with happy smiles and nodded.

* * *

 

Oliver stood at the top of a building and looked down upon the city with the crow on his shoulder.

* * *

The Pit Motel

All the crime lords of Star City sat down together around the table with their guns and money out, having been invited by Miranda Tate.

She arrived and took her seat at the centre as Jade stood to her left and Butch stood to her right, restraining Simon.

Looking at the other crime lords, Tate addressed them, "It seems our friend Hush won't be joining us this evening….on account of a slight case of death."

Everyone chuckled.

"Want to sit down?" She asked Simon who was then shoved onto a seat by Butch. She then got up and started giving a speech, "I have an idea….."

* * *

Oliver hung outside the building with the crow on his shoulder, listening to her.

* * *

After Tate was finished, she once again stood on her end of the table. That moment, the crow suddenly flew in and perched upon the table.

"How the hell did that thing get in here?" One of the criminals, who was called Victor Zsasz, muttered to himself.

"Gentlemen."

Everyone turned to see Oliver walk inside. Simon gasped in fear as the others got up and raised their weapons.

"Oliver." Miranda muttered with a smirk as Oliver glared at her angrily, "So you have come back. The Avenger. The killer of killers. This is what I always wanted you to be."

"I just want him, Talia." Oliver snarled as he pointed at Simon before pointing at Jade, "And her."

"Well, you can't have them." She told him arrogantly.

"Well." Oliver said as he threw the chair at the other end of the table away and sat on the table itself, "I see you have made a decision, Talia."

He then stood on the table, "But can you enforce it? Your father was very firm with such things."

Talia grunted in anger on being reminded of her father and ordered, "KILL HIM!"

The crime lords all opened fire on Oliver who took all the bullets. The firing stopped and Oliver fell off the table.

Talia, Jade, Butch, Zsasz and all the others present laughed at the sight.

"Well, that's that." Butch said.

Jade walked up to Oliver to check if he was dead or not. Victor tried to catch the crow but it cawed and flew off.

She kneeled down to check his pulse but that moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and fired an arrow. It went right through her chin and protruded from her head. She fell down, dead.

The others gasped in horror as Oliver fired at another from another under the table, killing him too. They tried to fire at him but he rolled to avoid and jumped on the table, firing arrows at all of them in quick succession, killing them one by one.

Talia, Butch and Victor ran off as Oliver continued killing the crime lords. He jumped down and stabbed one in the neck with a fletchette. He then retracted it and stabbed another in the chest.

As another tried to fire at him, Oliver shot him with an arrow and he fell out of the window.

Another attacked but Oliver sliced his throat with an arrow. As more fired at him, he threw a thug in the way and he was killed.

He then flipped to avoid some shots and leapt right in front of the thugs. As they tried to fire, Oliver fired at one with his bow, killing him.

As another tried to fire, he realized he had run out. Oliver smacked his hand, disarming him and in a quick movement, shot him down too.

He then walked up to Talia's vault and took out a sword. As one attacked, Oliver cut off his head before slicing another's throat in a rotatory motion.

He then jumped on the table and embedded the sword there.

As another fired, he kicked him out of the window. Flipping on the table, he shot another man who was firing at him from an above platform.

He then jumped down from the table and dragged Simon from under it.

"Please, don't kill me!" Simon whimpered in fear.

"Simon Lacroix, you have failed this city." Oliver said before throwing him out of the window. He fell right on top of a police car that had arrived on the scene.

Some cops burst into the room but Oliver leapt out of the window and swung away. Bullock was there too unofficially and had witnessed the sight.

As Oliver jumped around on rooftops to avoid a helicopter, Bullock followed him in his own car. Oliver jumped down from a rooftop onto an alley.

Bullock stopped the car in front of him and opened the door, "Come on! Move it!"

Oliver quickly ran into his car and shut the door as Bullock drove it away, "My advice: Next time duck. So many cops, you'd think they were giving away donuts."

That moment, a police car passed in front of them and Bullock stopped the car. He waited for it to go out of sight before he turned to where Oliver was sitting but saw that Oliver wasn't there and the door was open.

"Oh, I knew you were gonna do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters to go. Hope you enjoyed so far.


	8. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver engages Talia in one last fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

Oliver walked into the cemetery to see William and Mia sleeping near his grave. He shook them both awake.

"You're gonna say we shouldn't be in a cemetery in the middle of the night, right?" William asked.

"It's actually the safest place in this city to be currently." Oliver said gently.

"We knew you'd come here, daddy." Mia said with a smile.

"It's really late." Oliver told them.

"You never said goodbye." William told him.

"And there is nothing I regret more than that." Oliver said sadly, "I'm sorry for what I have done. I truly am."

"You're never coming back, daddy. Are you?" Mia asked with tears in her eyes.

Oliver took out Sara's bo-staff and handed it to her, "This belonged to your mother. She'd want you to have it."

Mia took the bo-staff with a smile as Oliver took out his hozen and gave it to William, "And I want you to have this."

As the two children put their gifts inside, Oliver said, "This way, you'll always remember us."

"I'll always keep it, daddy." Mia told him sincerely.

"I'll keep it too." William said sincerely.

"Come here." Oliver said and hugged his two children lovingly. They hugged back as some tears fell out of the eyes of all three of them.

He then let go and they started walking away.

"Goodbye." William said.

"Bye bye." Mia said as she waved her hand.

"Goodbye." Oliver said as he waved back and turned to his grave.

* * *

William and Mia walked out of the cemetery, leaving Oliver. They felt some closure now and decided that they could move on.

Suddenly, Butch Gilzean and Victor Zsasz sprang out of the shadows and grabbed both of them, putting their hands over their mouths to muffle the screaming.

They picked the two children up and took them to a nearby church where Talia al Ghul stood, waiting for them.

William's eyes widened in horror and hatred as he looked at Talia and recognized her from Lian Yu.

"Hello William. It's good to see you again." She said with a smirk.

* * *

Oliver stood in front of his grave and held out his hand, ready to go to the afterlife again.

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy!" Mia yelled as she struggled with Zsasz and tried to run out of the open door but he pulled her back and shut it.

Fortunately, the crow was sitting in front of the church.

* * *

Just before Oliver could touch his grave, he saw Mia struggling with Victor through the crow's eyes.

Immediately, he turned around and bolted in the direction of the church, bow in hand. He opened the doors and walked inside slowly.

He turned to his left to see Butch aiming a gun at him. The crow flew and sat near him too.

That moment, Butch turned his gun on the crow and shot it instead. It fell down. It was still alive but wounded and started flapping its wings wildly.

Oliver's eyes widened as he realized he wasn't invincible anymore. The crow being wounded had made him vulnerable to injury again.

"Hello Oliver." Talia said as she walked into plain sight with her sword in her hand, "Feeling mortal again?"

"Give me my children and I'll let you walk out of here." Oliver told her angrily.

Talia suddenly brandished a gun and shot him on the shoulder. Oliver staggered back in pain this time as he started bleeding.

"For a ghost you bleed just fine." She commented as she walked closer to him.

Oliver punched her hard on the face, staggering her back. She recovered and punched him on the bullet wound, making him fall down.

Victor tied the two children at the top of the stairs and walked back down.

"It's still alive." Butch said as he looked at the crow.

"Well then kill it." Talia ordered.

"Bye bye birdie." Butch said as he aimed his gun at the crow.

BANG!

Butch staggered away as a bullet hit him on the shoulder. The two turned to see Harvey Bullock burst into the church as he lowered his big gun.

Talia and Butch opened fire on him but he took cover as he returned fire. Oliver flipped away to avoid the firefight.

Victor ducked to avoid some shots and quickly picked up the crow.

Bullock avoided some shots from Butch and fired at his chest twice, killing him.

Talia and Victor ran upstairs.

Harvey crouched near a pillar as Oliver staggered next to him.

"I came by to pay my respects and here you are, getting shot at again." Bullock commented.

"They've taken my children." Oliver told him and Bullock nodded.

"How many?"

"Two more."

"Well, here's the plan." Bullock said, "I'll stay behind you and when they run out of ammo, I'll arrest them."

"Great plan. Just one problem." Oliver said as he showed Bullock his bleeding shoulder.

"Shit. I thought you were invincible." Bullock said.

"I was. I'm not anymore." Oliver said.

"You're still a badass." Bullock said, "But I will help you."

The two staggered to the stairs. As Bullock started walking up the stairs, Victor fired at him from above. Bullock returned fire but was hit on the shoulder. He staggered and fell down.

"You were supposed to stay behind me." Oliver told him.

"I think I messed up." Bullock groaned.

"Don't worry. You did good." Oliver assured him as he walked up the stairs. When he reached the top, he saw Victor pointing a gun at him with the crow in his other hand.

"This is all the power you had. Not it is in my hands. Pity." He said as he pointed the gun at Oliver, "Now I will kill you."

Suddenly, the crow freed itself from his grip and attacked his face, clawing his face and gouging his eyes with its beak, blinding him.

Zsasz screamed in pain as he staggered back and fell off the stairs. He grabbed the rope of the bell to stop himself from falling, ringing the bell in the process.

But his grip loosened and he fell down to his death.

"DADDY!"

"DAD!"

Oliver walked out onto the rooftop to see Talia holding William and Mia hostage.

"Let them go, Talia." Oliver said as he walked closer while it started raining, "You can have me. I won't fight you."

"All right." She said as she let them go and they slipped off the roof.

"NO!" Oliver yelled but she kicked him in the abdomen staggering him back. William and Mia managed to hold onto the roof for dear life.

Talia brandished her sword and attacked but Oliver backed to avoid and kicked her on the foot, making her fall down. She tried to strike again but he avoided.

Lightning cracked in the sky and the roof started breaking as Oliver blocked Talia's sword strikes with his bow.

He kicked her away and tried to run to save his children but slipped due to water. His wedding ring slipped out of his finger. He still crawled towards them, "William! Mia! I'm coming!"

Suddenly, Talia recovered and lunged at him, stabbing him in the back. The bloodied sword protruded from his chest.

"DADDY!"

"NOOOO!"

Talia retracted the sword and Oliver fell down, weakened.

"We have come full circle, haven't we Oliver?" She said as she kneeled closer to him, "You see, all those people who killed you and Sara- David Cain, Black Mask, Hush, Simon Lacroix and Jade Nguyen. They were all working for me. I ordered them to kill you through deception."

She then took out a knife, "And now this is over."

"I have something to give you." Oliver snarled at her, "I don't want it anymore."

He suddenly grabbed her face.

* * *

_Sara was in the intensive care unit, her entire body in pain as she fought for her life._

* * *

Oliver was transferring his memory of Sara's pain to Talia, "Thirty hours of pain!"

He grabbed Talia's hands with both of his as she started screaming in pain. Sara's pain.

"All at once! All for you."

As Talia screamed, Oliver snarled at her, "Talia al Ghul. You have failed this city."

He let her go and she fell off the roof, screaming in pain. She was impaled on a spiked statue, finally ending her life once and for all.

Oliver staggered towards William and Mia and managed to pull them back up.

The three then slowly walked back inside and down the stairs where William and Mia saw a wounded Bullock.

"Go help him." Oliver said and the two children quickly ran to him.

"You all right?" William asked.

With a groan, Bullock said, "I will be."

"Thank you for helping daddy, Mr. Bullock." Mia said with a happy smile.

"God, I need a cigarette." Bullock said as Oliver staggered downstairs and sat near them, "Everybody else dead?"

Pointing at his head, Oliver said, "What you kept in here save me and my children. Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Bullock said, "I've been meaning to come to the church anyway."

Oliver took out a cigarette and put it in Bullock's mouth. He smoked it a little before spitting it out in disgust, "Yuck. I'm quitting as of now, if I live."

"Stay with him until help comes." Oliver told William and Mia.

"He'll be okay, right?" William asked as he turned to Oliver-

Only to see Oliver wasn't there.

"Dad?"

"Daddy?"

With a sigh, Bullock said, "He does that a lot."

William and Mia gave a dejected sigh but felt they could move on in their lives now.

* * *

Oliver staggered towards Sara's grave and sat down in front of it. He touched it lovingly.

"Sara."

* * *

Bullock was wheeled away into an ambulance as William and Mia walked by him.

"At least it stopped raining." Bullock commented.

"Can't rain all the time." William said.

"This nightmare your fault, Bullock?" The captain asked as he walked up to them.

"You two go on home. I'll be all right." Bullock assured the two children and they walked away with smiles.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" The captain asked Bullock.

"Your vigilante's up on the roof." Bullock said, "You missed it."

"Get him outta here!" The captain said in a frustrated tone and Bullock was wheeled into the ambulance.

He laughed lightly, happy that he had done the right thing.

* * *

Oliver kneeled down in front of Sara's grave, closing his eyes. That moment, someone touched his face lovingly.

He opened his eyes to see Sara looking down on him with a loving smile, wearing a white dress. Oliver smiled back lovingly.

The two brought their faces closer and kissed passionately as wind blew lightly around them.

* * *

Later

The crow sat up on Oliver's grave with the wedding ring in its mouth. William and Mia walked up to the grave.

William held out his hand and the crow dropped the ring in his palm.

"Thank you." William said to him.

"Thanks." Mia said too.

With one last look at the graves of Oliver and Sara, the two children turned around and walked away, finally able to move on with their lives.

* * *

_lf the people we love are stolen from us...the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this would go on for one more chapter but it ends here now.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this short Arrow story based on "The Crow." I enjoyed writing it a lot. Now I can focus on "The Devil and The Arrow" again.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left there kudos and comments on this. Thank you to everyone who supported me in different ways while I wrote this.
> 
> Couldn't have done it without you all.
> 
> Until next time.
> 
> Aragorn II Elessar.


End file.
